From 770 g of Alprazolam to ₹4 crore in assets: how a drug probe followed the money

What began with the seizure of 770 grams of Alprazolam has led investigators in Sangareddy district of Telangana to properties worth an estimated ₹4 crore, in a case that illustrates how narcotics investigations increasingly follow the money rather than the contraband alone.

According to the Zaheerabad Town Police, properties linked to the accused, Vishwanath Karbhari Shipankar, and his relatives have been seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, following a financial investigation into what officers describe as the proceeds of an alleged drug trafficking network.

The case traces back to an operation by the Zaheerabad Town Police, assisted by the EAGLE Force, a specialised unit of the Telangana Police. During that operation, officers seized the Alprazolam consignment, an SUV, three mobile phones and ₹7.5 lakh in cash, and took Shipankar and others into custody.

Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine prescribed for anxiety and certain sleep disorders. It is a controlled substance under the NDPS Act, and its diversion from legitimate pharmaceutical supply into unauthorised sale has been a persistent concern for drug regulators and enforcement agencies.

After the arrests, investigators turned to a question that has become central to drug enforcement: where did the money go? Teams examined financial transactions and property records to trace the origin and ownership of assets linked to the accused.

The documents scrutinised included revenue passbooks, sale deeds, property tax receipts, building permissions, vehicle registration certificates, purchase invoices and other ownership and financial records — paperwork that together helps establish who owns an asset, when it was acquired and with what funds.

The exercise identified immovable properties associated with Shipankar and his relatives. Their government-assessed value is about ₹1.40 crore, while investigators estimate their prevailing market value at roughly ₹4 crore. The probe sought to establish the ownership structure of these properties, the source of the funds used to buy them, and whether they were linked to proceeds generated through narcotics trafficking.

Following the investigation and confirmation by the competent authority in Mumbai, the properties were seized on September 22 under Section 68(F) of the NDPS Act, the police said. The provision forms part of a chapter of the law that allows authorities to act against property illegally acquired through, or used in, illicit drug traffic.

Proceedings under this chapter are conducted before a competent authority appointed under the Act and are separate from the criminal trial of the accused. Officials said the investigation into the wider network and its financial trail is continuing.

The case remains at the stage of investigation and no finding of guilt has been recorded. Under Indian law, an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the seizure of property does not by itself establish culpability.

Financial investigations of this kind have become more common in narcotics cases in recent years, as agencies attempt to dismantle the economic base of trafficking networks rather than only apprehend individuals. Section 68(F) is one such tool; the Prevention of Money Laundering Act may also be invoked in cases where the proceeds of drug crime are laundered.

Officers involved in the Zaheerabad probe said records were cross-checked to establish not just ownership but the source of the money behind each purchase — an approach that often determines whether an asset can ultimately be forfeited to the state.